


Six Sides of Sympathy

by StutteryPrince



Series: Not So Loaded Dice [2]
Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Cuphead just doesn't wanna be here at all, King Dice is an asshole but at least he's trying, Mugman is the only one that's keeping King Dice from killing someone, he won't be around much after the first like two chapters he's in don't worry, surprise character has been written in, tags will change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-01-27 06:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12575652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StutteryPrince/pseuds/StutteryPrince
Summary: (Takes place immediately after "Good For Nothing Lackey")With the Devil gone for good(?), King Dice is free to run his life and casino his own way! He doesn't have to take orders and he can go back to normal life! ...So why doesn't he want to? When he realizes just how much everyone hates him and wants nothing to do with him, Dice tells himself he doesn't care, but he doesn't understand why can't stand how much their words hurt. Slowly (and with a little push from Mugman), he decides he doesn't want to be hated and plans on changing for the better!But that ain't as easy as it sounds.





	1. No Need For A Parade

Staring.

 

That was the second thing he noticed when he threw open those doors.

 

He could feel everyone's eyes on him as the music stopped and the parade screeched to a halt. 

 

For once in his life, King Dice felt embarrassed. He was dressed in a tattered suit and covered in all sorts of bruises, looking like he had just gone through hell and back, and nothing like poise and smug bastard he had made himself to be. He looked at the ground for a moment, trying to collect himself mentally before he did anything physically.

 

_ Okay, King. Just. Walk. _ He told himself, taking a deep breath.

 

Dice exhaled before he cleared his throat and stood up straight, tucking his hands behind his back as he arched it. He held his head high and walked on stiff legs, eyes closed so he wouldn’t have to see the frightened eyes of some and the raging eyes of others. He heard the scrambling feet of people as he walked towards them, the parade parting and opening a path to keep away from him. He walked down the dirt road as briskly as he could without looking anxious, trying his best to ignore the whispers of his name combined with curses and swears.

 

He opened one eye to give a cold but curious side glance, but he looked away the moment he saw those two boys, leading the currently frozen parade. He hoped him picking up his pace was subtle because he couldn’t take the anxiety and panic swirling in his chest for much longer. He was waiting, waiting for someone to throw something at him, to attack him, to yell their disdain rather than whisper it, but the silence he was met with was  _ unbearable _ .

 

_ Just keep walking. It’s almost over. _ He thought, worrying at his lip now that the entire parade was behind him.

 

“Hey! Mister King Dice, sir!”

 

_ SON OF A BITCH! _

 

Dice stopped and, against his better judgement, turned around to see who had addressed him. To his surprise, it was one of those boys, the one dressed in blue that tried to stop the other back at the casino, who had stepped up a few paces toward him. Behind him, his brother looked worriedly between his brother and the casino owner before him.

 

“What do you want,” Dice groaned, refusing to turn fully.

 

“I just, um,” he fiddled with his hands a bit, trying to piece what he wanted to say back together. “I just wanted to say that you’re, uh…” He mumbled again, still trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

 

“I’m  _ what _ ,” Dice demanded with less force than he intended, towering over the little mug head before him.

 

The other rushed up next to him and grabbed his arm, pulling a little to get him to back away, but the blue one yanked his arm out of his brother’s grip and held up his hand. He took a deep breath, looking up at Dice and trying his hardest not to show his fear if his faint shaking was anything to go by.

 

“I was going to say that...y-you’re welcome to join the Parade. If-if you want!”

 

“What? Mugman!”

 

The other grabbed his brother once again and spun him around, the two starting to argue, but it all fell on deaf ears. Dice was a bit taken back. They, or well  _ one  _ of them, wanted  _ him _ to join their parade? He looked up at the others for a moment, but once he saw  _ their _ faces, faces of horror, of unbridled rage, he scoffed through his teeth.

 

“Cuphead, he was trapped by the Devil too! He deserves to b-”

 

“I’ll pass.”

 

Their bickering stopped immediately as King Dice rose back up to his full height, scowling down at the two of them for a moment before looking away. 

 

“But-,” Mugman began, taking a step forward to grab one of his coattails in an attempt to get his attention.  

 

Dice felt the gentle pull and he snatched it out of his grip, turning sharply and glaring down at him. “I have a casino to run. I don’t have time for stupid parades, young man.”

 

Mugman scuttled backwards and Dice caught the protective glare of Cuphead, who was clearly ready to fire at him, but he simply turned his nose up and began walking again. He didn’t dare look back as the others began to talk once more, but once he couldn’t hear their voices and he was sure they couldn’t see him, he broke out into a full sprint. He wanted nothing more than to go  _ home _ and be away from all of  _ them _ and he couldn’t have been more relieved when his familiar building came into view.

 

He didn’t have time to marvel at how different his casino looked without the Devil’s influence upon it, running into the casino and slamming the door shut. He leaned against the door and buried his face in his hands, sighing as he slid down and sat on it floor. All those looks, all those words...why...why did they hurt so much? He heard countless insults thrown at him and, hell, countless  _ things _ thrown at him. This wasn’t any different!

 

“So what the hell, Dice,” he shouted at himself, burying his against his knees.

 

He wasn’t supposed to be hurt by this, he wasn’t supposed to care about what others said about him! That’s when he looked up, his eyes scanning carefully over the casino and finally feeling how  _ empty _ it was. No one was anywhere and everything just looked so bland and broken and it hit him like a ton of bricks when he realized why. He had told the Devil to leave, which he did, but he took all his servants and games with him, leaving only an empty building and the games Dice had before.

 

He was alone.

 

Completely alone.

 

“When was the last time….I was alone…?”

 

The sound of the other door opening snapped Dice out of his grief and sent him scrambling backwards, looking at just who dared walk into his building. 

 

“Mister King Dice, sir?”

  
_ You gotta be kidding. _


	2. I Don't Need Your Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate the way I've written this chapter, just telling y'all.

Mugman looked up at King Dice as he pushed the door open, tilting his head a little as the villain didn’t succeed in giving whatever evil look he was trying to send his way. He looked at all the holes in his jacket and his missing tooth, feeling a slight pang of guilt. He stepped inside and shut the door, looking away to take a deep and shaky breath before he turned to Dice.

 

“What the hell’re you doing here, kid?”

 

“I wanted to see if-if you were okay,” Mugman stuttered out with some difficulty, his fear not completely hidden. “You didn’t seem too happy about being free.”

 

Dice scoffed and draped his arms over his knees, looking down at Mugman as he tried not to shake in his boots. Just to up the ante, King Dice stared daggers down at the boy, his eyes green and filled with annoyance.

 

“I’m  _ fine. _ What do you care anyhow?”

 

“Well.” Mugman padded away from him, beginning to pick up things like dice and pool balls off the floor and put them back on their tables. “First off, you’re cr-crying.”

 

Dice’s eyes widened and he touched his face, looking at the wet stain on his gloves with surprise before he furiously began rubbing away the remaining tears. He glowered at Mugman as he did so, watching him walk around and organize things.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Cleaning up. It always makes me feel better.”

 

Dice watched him for a few minutes more before he stood up and collected a few of the fallen shot glasses, placing them in a neat row on the bar. He caught Mugman looking at him over his shoulder and he shot the boy another green-eyed glare, to which he responded to by snapping back around with a yelp.

 

“So.” Dice sighed when Mugman began talking. “Why didn’t you want to join the parade?”

 

“I had to get back here. I told you that.”

 

“Yeah, you did. Now what’s the real reason?”

 

Dice huffed through his teeth and kept silent, pulling a handkerchief from his coat and wiping down a table instead.

 

“Not talking? That’s fine. Cuphead does that sometimes after he comes home after getting into trouble.”

 

Mugman fell silent himself, keeping quiet as he used the pool rack to straighten the balls. The familiar sound of the pool balls clacking together in the rack was calming to Dice, but once they were straight and Mugman had removed the rack, it was all silence again. The lack of sound was no different from when the casino was closed, but this silence unnerved Dice. It was unbearably uncomfortable, even more so with someone else in the room, and he no matter how much he told himself wanted Mugman to keep his mouth shut, Dice just couldn't stand it.

 

“I just didn't want to, alright,” he mumbled, adjusting the candle on the table.

 

“Didn't want to what,” Mugman asked, pausing in his grabbing of a glass on the ground to look at Dice. 

 

Dice kept his back to him as he fixed the small cover on another table. “I didn't want to join your parade. It was pointless anyway.”

 

“Why do you think it was pointless, Mister King Dice?”

 

“Because,” Dice shouted, throwing his handkerchief onto the table. He turned to Mugman sharply, pointing at the boy with his mouth open ready to yell, but he closed after a second, stammering before crossing his arms.

 

“It-It just was, okay?”

 

“That's...not an answer, Mister King Dice.”

 

Dice blushed and scoffed, walking to a table further away to clean it instead. He scowled down at the table as he wiped it, cursing at himself for putting on such a childish display. He was supposed answer questions with a suave smile and an even tone, not like a kid who just got his toy taken away! Just as he contemplated throwing the young man out, he felt a pull on his coattail.

 

“Mister King Dice,” Mugman began, giving another soft tug.

 

“What,” he spat back, glancing at him.

 

“If you tell me the real reason why you didn’t join the parade, I’ll leave for today. Deal?”

 

Dice squinted before he nodded coldly, accepting the small deal laid out between them. Stuffing the handkerchief back into his pocket, he leaned against the table, flicking at an imagined stain to avoid looking at Mugman.

 

“It doesn’t matter why  _ I _ didn’t join the parade. No one wanted me there either way, kid.”

 

“I wanted you there!”

 

Dice was lucky to suppress the small smile he felt tugging at his lips, turning it into a mildly annoyed side eye at Mugman.

 

“One out of like twenty-five people wanted me to join some parade.  _ Great.” _

 

“C’mon man, Mister King Dice.” Dice moved back a little as Mugman clambered up onto the table, standing up on to be somewhat eye level with the other. “It wasn’t that they didn’t want you there, they just, uh…”

 

“They were just scared of me,” Dice finished, cocking an eyebrow.

 

“Nonono! That’s not-They weren’t-!”

 

_ “You’re _ scared of me,” Dice stated, looming over Mugman, his eyes green.

 

Mugman tried to speak, but all his words caught in his throat as he began to positively quake. 

 

“I told you why I didn’t join your parade. Now get out.”

 

“But-”

 

Mugman flinched when cards flew out from inside Dice’s sleeves, circling around the casino owners waist as he leaned over him even more.

 

_ “Now.” _

 

Mugman scrambled off the table and scampered toward the door, throwing it open and running for his life down the path. Dice leaned against the doorway and watched him go, holding his wrists out so the cards could return to their rightful place. He scoffed through his teeth before he closed the front door, shrugging out his jacket and walking up the stairs labeled ”OFF LIMITS.” 

 

He didn’t say a word as he dropped his jacket on the floor of his bedroom and undid his bowtie, kicking off his shoes before falling face first onto his bed. He was tired, both mentally and physically. He forced himself to actually crawl into bed properly, sighing as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 

Cuphead jumped nearly a foot in the air as Mugman came zooming in, slamming the door close and leaning against. His chest was heaving and his eyes were crazy as Cuphead rushed over, Elder Kettle peeking out from the kitchen.

 

“Where the hell-heck have ya been? It’s nearly nine o’clock!”

 

“I was...” Mugman got a hold of himself, taking a few deep breaths and shaking his head. “I was at the casino with King Dice.”

 

It took a moment before Cuphead properly processed the information, not wanting to believe it at first, but when he came to the conclusion that his brother was telling the truth, he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

 

“You were  _ where _ with  _ who _ ?!”

 

“Boys, is something wrong?”

 

They both turned to see Elder Kettle walking out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a rag with a confused and concerned look on his face.

 

“Mugman is hanging out with King Dice,” Cuphead yelled, stomping and pointing at his brother.

 

“Is that where you ran off to from the parade without telling anyone?” Elder Kettle didn’t  _ sound _ mad, but Mugman wasn’t about to risk getting grounded.

 

“I am not hanging out with him! He was hurt and sad and he deserved to be comforted! I was  _ helping _ him! Or at least I was trying to.” Mugman gripped his arm, looking down for a second before meeting Elder Kettle’s eyes again. “He got really mad and told me to leave.”

 

Cuphead opened his mouth to declare that he was triumphant in the argument, but Elder Kettle held up his hand to silence him. Elder Kettle took a knee and motioned for Mugman to come closer, the young mug trudging up to him with his head hung low.

 

“Tell me what happened, Mugman.”

 

“Wh-When I got there, he was on the floor and I think he had been crying. He didn’t seem like the big bad guy that had tried to smash us, he just seemed sad and lonely. I tried to talk to him for a bit, but when we weren’t talking, he eventually said something to me. I don’t know what I said, but he got mad at me and told me to go. I-I just wanted him to feel like he belongs with us, Papa. He was trapped by the Devil too. It’s not fair that he’s the only one that has to be alone. No one deserves to be alone. Not even him…”

 

Mugman fiddled with his gloves, waiting for Elder Kettle to scold him, but all that came was a hardy chuckle and a pat on the shoulder.

 

“I’m proud of you, Mugman!”

 

“What,” both brothers questioned, Cuphead’s head popping off his shoulders.

 

“You’re helping out someone in need, even though others feel as though he doesn’t deserve it. Despite the evil things he’s done, you still feel as if he deserves a second chance. I want you to continue to try and help him.”

 

“Of course, Papa! I had planned on going back tomorrow morning, if that’s alright?”

 

“Just fine, Mugman. Just be home before dinner.”

 

Mugman giggled as Elder Kettle pat his head, but the tender moment was interrupted by a seething Cuphead. Cuphead jumped on top of Mugman’s head, leaning out of his mug to look at Elder Kettle with wild, but concerned eyes.

 

“Wait just’a minute! Papa, he tried to kill us! He  _ doesn't _ deserve a second chance at all!”

 

“Well,” Elder Kettle huffed, rising. “Just for that you’ll be going with him,” He stated sternly, crossing his arms.

 

Cuphead’s mouth fell open and Mugman laughed, tipping his head and dumping Cuphead out of his head. He glared up at his smug brother as he picked himself up off the floor, calling him a goodie-toe shoes under his breath.

 

“Alright now boys,” Elder Kettle began. “Go wash up and head to bed. No more bickering either, Tea. Don’t think I didn’t hear what you called your brother.”

 

Cuphead pouted, but nodded as the two of them climbed up the stairs, walking to their bedroom and slipping into their pajamas. They climbed into their beds and Cuphead reached over to turn out the light, but he hesitated.

 

“Hey, Mugs.”

 

“Yeah, Tea?”

 

“I...I trust you on this, okay? You trusted me when we went into that casino in the first place, so don’t be like me this time and screw us over.”

 

Mugman chuckled and gave his brother a finger gun, smiling.

 

“I won’t, Tea. I promise.”

  
Cuphead nodded and shut off the light. They both rolled over and laid their heads down, eyes falling closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, someone special is gonna show up!


	3. Rattling Dice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *lays down on the floor* J-Just take whatever this is.

When Dice awoke, it was to a loud banging noise downstairs. He rolled over and tried to ignore it by pressing his pillow over his ears, but it only came back louder and more anger inducing. Throwing the pillow aside with a groan, he begrudgingly dragged himself from bed, wondering just who the hell would dare step foot near his casino, especially at this hour.

 

The knocking came back once again, banging in his head like a hammer, and he had to cover his ears and close his eyes with a grunt.

 

“Shut the hell up already!” He called down, pissed off.

 

Dice huffed and got up, tripping down the stairs with the grace of a drunk. He pulled open the door and leaned against it, sighing heavily.

 

“The King Dice Casino opens at 9 p.m. and closes 4 a.m.. I can assure you that it is neither of those times right now, so please go home,” he recited with practiced precision.

 

“Um, Mister King Dice?”

 

Dice opened his eyes in confusion, looking around before his sleep drunk gaze traveled down to see Mugman and Cuphead, one considerably more happy to see him than the other. While Mugman raised on his toes to wave at him, Cuphead scoffed and looked away with his arms crossed.

 

“What,” Dice sighed, rubbing at his face.

 

“We're here to help finish cleaning up!”

 

Dice stared at them for a few seconds, squinting in both confusion and at the sunlight assaulting his vision. It was much too early for his mind to process anything and everything that had just been said to him had turned to static.

 

“Okay,” he mumbled, deciding to simply go with a general answer to what he assumed to be a question.

 

Cuphead and Mugman walked inside, Cuphead watching Dice with a stern and wary gaze as he closed the door behind them. Dice swayed, groaning a little as he gripped his side and leaned harder against the door.

 

“Ah jeez,” Mugman said, running over to him despite Cuphead trying to reach out and grab him.

 

Mugman reached up and grabbed Dice by the hand, carefully leading him up the stairs that he hoped would lead to a room or office of some kind.

 

“Let's get you back to bed,” Mugman said gently. “You must still be tired.”

 

“Okay,” Dice mumbled again, his anger induced burst of energy fading.

 

Mugman cheered to himself when he opened the door to find a simple bedroom, pulling Dice inside. He laid him down and covered him up, smiling as he mumbled a slurred thank you before falling back asleep.

 

“You gonna kiss'im goodnight too, Mugs?”

 

Mugman whipped around to see Cuphead in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. Mugman blushed and rolled his eyes, shoving his brother as they walked back out and down the stairs.

 

They both looked around the casino when they reached the bottom of the stairs, humming as they scanned over the mess the Devil purposefully left behind. Broken lights, peeling wallpaper, balls, chips, and glasses alike scattered about and away from their tables, the extent of the damage nearly seemed endless.

 

“Why are we doing this again,” Cuphead asked.

 

“Well, I’m doing it because I want to. You’re doing it because Elder Kettle said so.”

 

Cuphead pouted while Mugman snickered and walked off to pick up a few betting chips. With a sigh, Cuphead rolled his eyes and rolled up his sleeves before walking over to a pile of rubble.

 

“Let’s just get this over with. The faster we clean this place up, the sooner we can leave.”

 

Cuphead lifted up a fallen chandelier, jumping back when the bulbs fell and shattered loudly against the carpet. He went to curse but Mugman scrambled over and put a finger to Cuphead’s lips, shushing him.

 

“Dice is sleeping, remember? We can’t make too much noise!”

* * *

Not even an hour later, King Dice awoke to the sound of yelling and gunfire. He sprang up in bed, throwing the covers aside and rushing down the stairs. His eyes went wide when he saw the scene in front of him, his mouth falling open as he tried to process it.

 

Cuphead and Mugman had a person at gunpoint, the two brothers pointing their fingers at the offender in the corner. He appeared to be a wooden box of some sort with a broken glass screen that had two sparking wires peeking out. Three black knobs were lined up vertically next to the screen and two antenna leaned out to the side from the top of his head. Everything he wore was a different shade of green, from his bowtie to his suspenders.

 

He had a heavy looking bag over his shoulder and, from the way the brothers were acting, it was certainly heavy with things that didn’t belong to him.

 

“Drop the bag,” Cuphead demanded.

 

“No way!”  


“Drop the bag and we won’t have to hurt you,” Mugman said a lot quieter than Cuphead, a slight pleading tone to his voice as he glanced up.

 

“I found dis money fair and square! It’s mine so back off!”

 

The longer the argument continued, the more anger that bubbled in Dice’s gut. His moustache twitched as he growled, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his hands into tight shaking fists. Twice, _twice_ he had been woken _hours_ before his usual time, this time with a splitting headache, and now he was being robbed? He was very tired and very _very_ angry.

 

Dice threw his hands forward with a shout, cards flying out of his sleeves and right at the thief. He screamed and dropped the bag in favor of raising his arms to cover his head, flinching as 26 cards struck the wall around while 13 more pinned him to the wall by his clothes. Cuphead and Mugman stepped away from Dice as he stomped up, leering down at the offender.

 

“What are you doing with _my_ money?”

 

“ _Y-Your_ money,” the offender choked out. “I-I-I had no idea dat dis was _your_ money, I swears it!”

 

The offender flinched as Dice slammed his hand against the wall beside him, rattling the light fixtures above.

 

“Lie to me again.”

 

“L-L-Look! I-I’ll do whateva’ ya want! Just don't hurt me!”

 

Dice hummed as he contemplated just what he would do, the remaining 13 cards leaking from his sleeves to lazily spin around his waist. Mugman watched as Dice slowly began to walk his fingers along the wall, the deadly cards advancing toward the thief.

 

“Mister King Dice!”

 

Dice paused and slowly turned to look at him.

 

“It’s not worth it.”

 

Dice held the same scornful gaze as he turned from Mugman to the thief. After a moment’s hesitation, he snapped his fingers and the cards pulled themselves from the wall, joining in on the circling around him. The offender looked up at him as he rubbed his wrists, surprised that Dice hadn't been killed him.

 

“Wha…”

 

“I need new employees since my others ran south for the time being. You’ll have to do for now. What's your name?”

 

“C-Coppa’. C-O-P-P-A-apostrophe!”

 

Dice huffed and rolled his eyes, knowing for a fact that spelling was going to be a bitch to remember.

 

“You are going to help these two in cleaning up this mess, _after_ you put back all that money.” Dice pointed all his cards at Coppa’. _“Every. Single. Cent._ You understand?”

 

Coppa’ nodded shakily, watching as Dice made a “tch” noise before turning back to the stairs.

 

“I may as well get ready for the day, seeing as how I no longer trust that I'll get any sleep with you three running around.”

 

Mugman laughed while Cuphead sighed heavily, watching Coppa’ as he collected the money and started to head back the way he came.

 

“You sure we didn’t make a mistake, Mugs?”

 

Mugman looked at his brother and shrugged, smiling as he turned to finish collect pool balls.

* * *

When King Dice came back downstairs, he was looking like himself once again sans a tooth, dressed in a fresh purple suit and bowtie to match. He sighed as he looked around, but his almost downtrodden sweep of the area was interrupted by a hard cough. Dice leaned against the wall slightly as he coughed into his hand, wrapping his other arm around his chest and clutching his side.

 

“Mister King Dice,” Mugman asked, rushing up to him with Cuphead by his side. “You alright?”

 

“I’m _fine_. Get back to work,” he growled through gritted teeth, forcing himself to stand up straight once again.

 

Before either of them could ask questions, Dice turned sharply and walked off on brisk and somewhat unstable legs to a table that he assumed needed cleaning. Mugman reached his hand out with the intention of following him, but Cuphead pulled him back and shook his head. Reluctantly, Mugman allowed himself to be pulled back to by Cuphead, both of them walking up to Coppa’ to receive brooms and mops.

 

“I’m sure da boss’ll be fine, boys. I’ve heard about King Dice. He’s one of the strongest fellas out dere!”

 

Cuphead and Mugman smile, laughing a bit.

 

“Ain’t _that_ the truth, eh Mugs?”

 

“Good _gosh_ are you right! I’m sure he’ll be okay!”

 

Ten minutes later, Dice fell into another coughing fit, much worse than the last. He all but collapsed against the wall, grunting as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly. All three of them watched as he hacked against a rag, pulling it back and nearly choking at the sight of the ink splotch left on it.

 

“Ah _shit,_ ” he swore under his breath, almost tripping as he walked out from behind the bar.

 

“Mister King Dice,” Mugman called again, rushing up with much more urgency than before. “Are you sure you’re okay? Y-You’re coughing an awful lot a-and you’ve been leaning on stuff since this morning and-and-”

 

“I said I was _fine_ , damn it! Quit worrying about me and get back to your….” Dice stumbled and his speech lost all his volume and bite. “Your jobs….”

 

“Okay, dat’s it!”

 

Mugman and Cuphead looked at Coppa’ as he threw down his broom, stomping right up to a borderline delirious King Dice and putting his hands on his hips.

 

“A’ight, boss! You’re going to lay down and you’re going to lay down right now! I may be scared of yous, but you can’t even _dink_ about hurting me when you’re like dis.”

 

“I beg to differ,” Dice growled, opening a now green eye to glare at Coppa’ with.

 

Despite the clear fear that flashed across his shattered screen for a moment, Coppa’ was resilient. He reached up and grabbed Dice’s hand, dragging the reluctant and pissed off casino behind him as he marched up the stairs. They were spitting curses at each other the entire time and the two boys could still hear even as the door slammed closed, wincing when Dice yelled _“THIEF!”_ at Coppa’, who responded with, _“CONMAN!”_ with just as much anger.

 

The boys heard someone come stomping down the stair a few minutes later and whipped around, pretending they weren’t listening at all. Coppa’ was still ranting and raving to himself as he walked over to the boys, grumbling about how King Dice was a “stupid die head who was more stupid than scary.”

 

“A’ight boys,” Coppa’ began with a sigh. “Whetha’ King _Dork_ likes it or not, we have to take him to see Rumor Honeybottoms lata’. She has dese weird magics she can work to help with whateva’ is messin’ up our boss.”

 

All the color drained from their faces in an instant, their eyes snapping wide as they gripped their broom a bit tighter.

 

“Rumor…”

 

“Honeybottoms…?”

 

Coppa’s screen displayed him cocking an eyebrow and he leaned down to the boys height a little.

 

“Yeah…? What, you two scared a’ bees or somethin’? Don’t worry, boys, Rumor is da sweetest gal out dere! She wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone you two mugheads!”

  
The boys looked at one another warily, swallowing hard as they tried not to quake. Revisiting the hive was certainly going to be one hell of an adventure... _again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the thing about Coppa'! Coppa'....is me!!! And don't give me that "TVs weren't a thing in the 1930s" stuff I did my research before making him.


End file.
